Review of Dante's Demons

[John Owen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dante's Demons" by K.L. Barstow.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Overall, this book is not bad. In all honesty, it is really good, but I was put off by the too much and awkwardly placed erotic scenes. I'll explain all this in a few.

I did enjoy the suspense-filled plot. This book had me on the edge of my seat as I constantly wondered if the Demon Dawgs were going to catch the perpetrator who was raping and murdering women, including Caitlin who miraculously survived the attack. Think of the Demon Dawgs as the givers of vigilante justice, who put such perpetrators where they belong when the common law fails. It was intense following the manhunt with the Demon Dawgs, all the while asking what Dante and his club were going to do to the criminal if they caught him.

I agree with the way the Demon Dawgs dealt with criminals, especially those the law couldn't pin down, but I don't agree with how they treated their own. For example, when Dante had Flame branded for what was Tally's mistake to sneak out, it was not the best judgement to me. Even though Tally might have acted irrationally at times, putting herself and those looking after her in danger, Dante's actions were a big catalyst.

Dante and Tally are both great characters, but they've been developed with their fair share of good and bad. Dante was caring and protective, but he was also unrelenting in his actions despite the impact they had on those he loved. Tally was great, principled, and lovable but too rash in her judgments. I can say the overall character development was perfect.

What put me off, though, were the awkward erotic scenes. I have no problem with erotic scenes of any intensity; I have a problem with how they were written in this book. For most of the first half, Dante and Tally had sex even in the most awkward situations to the extent it sometimes felt like it overshadowed the plot. I sometimes thought I was reading an erotica novel. This irking issue magically disappeared in the last half of the book though, and I was finally able to focus on the plot.

Putting everything into scale, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars, deducting two stars for the aforementioned issue. I would definitely read other installments in this series, and I highly recommend it. This book seemed excellently edited as I found no errors.

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Dante's Demons
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[Anaïs Quesson]

Your review is very insightful, John.
I remember reading the first few pages of this book. If I remember correctly, it was recently sponsored as Book of the Day. The mystery was set up right away, and I enjoyed what I was reading. I never bothered to read the whole thing, though, because I get quite uncomfortable with sexual content. (That kind of book cover makes me want to throw up...)
Anyway, I digress. Thank you for taking the time to write a comprehensive review. Great job!! I'm looking forward to reading more of your reviews.